Heating Solution for Double-Sided Fireplace

[Jonathan Stroble]

Hello all,

I would appreciate some advice about buying and installing a wood-burning stove or insert for my double-sided fireplace. I have uploaded a couple of pictures that I hope will illustrate the setup. Basically, the fireplace sits between the living room (carpet) and kitchen (linoleum). I have removed the glass doors on the living room side, which is the side in which I would put the stove or insert. The enclosure there is 29-1/4" high and 37-5/8" wide. The depth is 36-1/4" from front to back, with a metal trap door halfway in for dropping ash into a large cavity beneath the fireplace. Above the fireplace is a metal canopy with a damper, beyond which is an interior chimney, offset a few feet to one side and extending about 25 feet to the roof.

I understand the home builder's aesthetic dream of a two-sided fireplace that would please the family in two rooms. But I have trouble heating the two-story house (about 2,250 feet of living space) inexpensively with my basement furnace, and I would like to convert this main-level fireplace into something functional.

I'm thinking that an insert -- like the Jotul C 550 -- would be something of a plug-and-play solution. Slide it in, plug it in, connect a chimney-length liner and start burning. Assuming it would be unsightly from behind, I would probably end up bricking up the kitchen side. But at the moment, I'm less concerned with the view from the kitchen than with adding heat to the house.

Would a free-standing stove be a feasible alternative? If so, would I need to install some kind of rear heat reflector to direct radiant heat out into the living room? Would that be a custom-built device or is there a company that sells such a thing for this kind of installation?

Thanks for reading. I'll be happy to provide additional information. Oh, I live in central New York.

Jon.

 

[begreen]

An insert should work fine but I would suggest getting something larger, in the 3 cu ft range if the intent is to heat 24/7 with it. On the backside opening, frame it with angle metal and attached a perforated or expanded metal screen painted black.

 

[Jonathan Stroble]

Thanks, I like that idea of how to handle the kitchen side. I assume the metal screen would both block the view of the back side of the insert, and also allow warm air to radiate from it into the kitchen?

 

[begreen]

Yes the screen would block the view yet allow a little hot air to convect into the kitchen from the insert's cabinet.

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

Thanks, I like that idea of how to handle the kitchen side. I assume the metal screen would both block the view of the back side of the insert, and also allow warm air to radiate from it into the kitchen?

Pick the material for the screen carefully. If it gets hot and doesn't look like a fire then someone, especially a kid could touch it and get burned. I don't know how far away the back of the insert would be so that might not be an issue. Maybe something like a traditional fireplace safety screen material would be good. Just think about that and be safe with it.

Good luck.

 

[Jonathan Stroble]

Thanks for that advice. The screen would stand off from the rear of the insert by about 20 inches. Once I get the insert fired up, I'll be in a good position to gauge the rear-facing radiant heat.

I ended up jumping on an offer too good to refuse: a Lennox (now Ironstrike) Country Legacy C260 insert for $1,650 after tax. It was excess inventory that the dealer was offering at a steep discount. A few years old but never opened, still on the shipping palette. Seems to be in perfect shape.

 

[begreen]

At 20" from the back of the insert I think the rear grille will be just warm to the touch. The C260 is a well made, solid insert. It's medium sized and may not heat the whole place when it's cold, but it will help make a nice dent in the heating bills. Be sure to have a good stock of fully seasoned wood on hand for best performance.